Lawsuit accuses Toledo pediatric urologist of photographing patients' genitals
A civil complaint filed on behalf of 13 children alleges the doctor took close-up images during exams, a claim his employers previously said was unrelated to his clinical duties.
By Rosa Wojcik ·
A civil lawsuit filed on Nov. 4 alleges that Bryan Sack, a former pediatric urologist, took close-up photographs of children's genitals during medical examinations. The complaint, submitted on behalf of 13 children and their families, claims these images were part of a larger collection of digital files found on the doctor's personal cloud account.
The lawsuit asserts that Sack's Dropbox account held more than 27,000 files of children. Within that collection, plaintiffs identified 1,200 files of child sexual abuse material. The filing specifies that the alleged genital photographs were captured with a cellphone during clinical visits and later disclosed in an FBI affidavit in May.
Sack served as the chief of pediatric urology at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Toledo. He was arrested in February of this year after an investigation began following a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Authorities executed a search warrant at his residence and seized digital evidence. At the time of his arrest, Nationwide Children’s issued a statement indicating the charges were not related to his work at the hospital.
The legal action names four defendants: Sack, Nationwide Children’s Hospital - Toledo, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, and Mercy Health St. Vincent Medical Center. The hospitals operate on the same campus in Toledo. The complaint lists invasion of privacy, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and negligence against the medical centers. It also includes claims for negligent supervision, negligent hiring, credentialing, and retention against both hospitals, as well as fraudulent concealment against Nationwide Children’s.
The families are seeking financial compensation and specific corrective measures. They request that the hospitals notify every patient Sack treated and audit the images he accessed. The lawsuit asks for Sack to identify and hand over any patient images he possesses before federal forfeiture destroys the evidence. Additionally, the families seek payment for counseling services for the affected children and their families.
Nationwide Children’s Hospital stated that Sack was terminated from his position after the charges were reported. The lawsuit was prepared by Flood Law, the firm representing the families. The hospital previously maintained that the criminal charges regarding possession of explicit images were separate from his clinical responsibilities.
